


It's All An Act

by LittleGirlMurder



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bodyguard Romance, Childhood Friends, Crossposted from Fanfiction.net, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, Sort Of, Strangers to Lovers, The Yu-boys have Dragon Magic, Trauma, counterpartshipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24988375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleGirlMurder/pseuds/LittleGirlMurder
Summary: One day, the famous actor and performer, Yuya Sakaki, got attacked and nearly killed on his way home. The mysterious Yuto saved his life and introduced him to a world far more magical and wonderful than Yuya could have ever dreamed - and far more dangerous than he could handle on his own. But Yuto has promised to protect him... no matter the personal cost.
Relationships: Sakaki Yuya & Yugo, Sakaki Yuya/Yuto
Kudos: 16





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: This fanfic is heavily self-indulgent, because there is a lack of Counterpartshipping in this fandom.

_A blinding pain, the sensation of falling..._

_"Hello, my name is Yuto."_

_A photo... the glimpse of a face..._

_"You're the one that killed her!"_

_A figure in white races towards him, followed by a figure clad in black. He's falling, falling, falling..._

_"YUYA!"_

Yuya Sakaki woke up with a gasp, pale and sweating, green and red locks spread out across his pillow.

He sat up slowly, wiping sweat off his forehead, pushing his bangs out of the way. Heart thundering wildly, he groped around his bedside table and found the light switch. Within seconds, his room was bathed in the soft glow of a lamp. Yuya took a deep breath, staying utterly still for a moment. Then, with a heavy sigh, he swung his legs out of bed. His bare feet hit the cool floor with a light slapping sound. Briefly, he closed his eyes.

_It's that dream again..._

Yuya shook his head, then sprang to his feet.

It was going to be one of those nights.

* * *

'Is this him?'

'Yes, his name is Yuya Sakaki.'

Grey eyes stared intently at the photo.

'You need to protect him, no matter what. Remember that... Yuto.'

'I will, I promise.'

* * *

Yuya Sakaki was a celebrity. At the tender age of sixteen, he had already become an internationally famous actor and entertainer.

Yuto was a boy, powerful and lonely, his past mired in darkness and blood and tragedy.

Their meeting was inevitable.


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer for the entire fanfic: I do not, have not and will never, own Yugioh Arc-V.

There was a crowd outside the door.

Yuya Sakaki could already hear their eager voices, the crowd's buzzing melting into white noise in the back of his head. The dull throb of a headache threatened to escalate into a full-blown migraine. The sixteen-year-old sighed, running a hand through his messy dual toned locks. His hand stopped to rub soothing circles into his temple. The headaches had been increasing in intensity lately. Little wonder as to why.

It had been a particularly difficult week for him, with the lack of sleep, near-constant stress and insanely demanding schedule. After all, he was only in this city for a month and due to appear in a variety of different talk shows, theatre performances and countless other things he had already forgotten. What was the point in remembering? The people on his staff would make sure he got everywhere on time anyway. Yuya himself had long ago stopped caring. About the same time that-

_"Yuya, I am so, so sorry."_

The pounding in his head increased painfully. Yuya gritted his teeth, making a mental note to take some painkillers later. With a quick shake of his head, Yuya pasted on his customary smile and walked through the door to face the demanding, eager crowd.

* * *

The coffee shop on the side street branching off the main road was a small one. Positioned awkwardly in between two boutiques, it nevertheless made a substantial profit. That was entirely due to it being the only coffee shop in a three mile radius. It was big, it was crowded and filled with the noise of coffee machines and small talk. Thus, it was the perfect place for surreptitious information gathering.

Rain lashed the windows, lightning lighting up the sky, thunder following an instant later. People huddled into their coats and beneath their umbrellas, hurrying to the shelter of their homes. One figure, swamped in black material, hood pulled low and casting dark shadows that obscured his face, stopped briefly in front of the coffee shop. Looking around furtively, his tense posture relaxed marginally and he pushed open the door.

The bell rang through the coffee shop, notifying a new arrival. He scanned the crowded building, before striding over to the nearest available space. Thrumming with nervous, anticipatory tension, he sat down and listened. (Sharpening his hearing would never stop being a useful trick.)

'-hear? Yuya Sakaki is going to be hosting it tonight! Apparently, tonight's location is in this area! We're only a couple of blocks away, actually.'

'You're kidding?! _Yuya Sakaki? Here?'_

'I know, I couldn't believe it either.'

His hands tightened into fists. It was definitely happening tonight then.

He glanced outside, hood slipping to reveal two-toned locks. A child, a boy of ten years old, that sat nearby noticed and turned to him excitedly.

'I know you!'

He started, eyes darting around before they settled on the kid in the table next to his own. The child was practically vibrating in his seat.

'You're Yuya Sakaki!'

He choked on air and scrambled to pull his hood back over his face, but it was too late. Everyone sitting nearby had heard the child's exclamation and turned around to look.

'Did he say "Yuya Sakaki"?'

'Wait where?'

'There, at the corner table, see?'

'Hey that's-'

Cursing internally, he pulled his hood down low on his face. Why, _why_ did this always have to happen?

He couldn't afford to be noticed. Especially not tonight.

* * *

_The pieces were arranged, the date set. The wheels of fate would be set in motion. Yuya and Yuto were fated to meet on that night._


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Angst, mentions of suicidal thoughts, aftereffects of trauma.

'So, Yuya, I'm, sure our viewers are immensely curious-'

Yuya smiled and laughed and joked, like they expected him to. He answered on cue, the words tasting recycled and bland on his tongue. After so many years doing this, Yuya knew by heart all the right responses and body language. Nobody knew just how little attention he actually paid to interviews and talk shows. His mind was on other, more important things. Like wondering where Yuzu was right now, was she okay, did she miss him... If she thought about him at all.

It had been a long time after all. Maybe Yuzu had managed to move on, put the past behind her. Forget about him.

The thought sent a dull ache to his heart. He'd be glad, of course, if Yuzu was happy. The last time they had seen each other, she had been so broken. Unlike herself. Her staying like that would be far worse than this. But that didn't mean the idea that Yuzu moved on without him stung any less. Especially because he couldn't, hadn't been able to forget what happened. Even now, years and years later.

'Is practise, or natural talent that got you this far?'

'Some of both, plus a ton of luck!'

Some days, he felt like screaming. Everyone he knew, all the people he used to be friends with, had left to do their own thing, to continue living. He was the only one stuck in limbo, thrown back to that one awful day, again and again and again and again. It was like being in slow motion: maddening. No matter how hard he strained, progress was slow and painful and not worth the effort.

It wasn't all bad, of course. There were good days too. Days when he felt light as air, like he could start to move past things. Those were the days when Yuya finally felt like himself again. But more often, the world wasn't worth getting up for in the morning. (He couldn't help wondering if Yuzu still felt like that too.)

Yuya smiled and laughed and joked. Like he always did when something hurt too much to deal with.

(Thinking about Yuzu hurt. But everything seemed to hurt, these days.)

* * *

Yuya leaned back into the cool leather of the car seats with a relieved groan. Exhaustion settled over him like a cloak, weighing down his bones and muscles to an unbearable degree. He was pale and drawn, the dark circles under his eyes pronounced. The insane rush of his days had left their mark on him, wearing him down, bit by bit. It was lucky he had coffee, or he would've collapsed long ago.

All Yuya wanted right then was to go home and fall into bed. Probably never get up again. To be honest, if he hadn't cared about his fans so much, he probably _would've_ stayed in bed for the rest of forever. _(he almost did once. it had sounded so wonderful, to lie still and never move again. it still sounded tempting, on bad days.)_ There wasn't anybody left to care about what he did with his life after all. Except for his fans. Yuya couldn't bear to disappoint so many.

Yuya's red eyes slowly opened and peered out the car window. Rain fell in sheets from the heavens, obscuring his view. He watched, blinking lazily, as people walked briskly to their destinations, covering themselves with umbrellas, coats and hoods. The soothing sound of rain and the gentle rocking of the car lulled him. Yuya leaned his head against the smooth glass. Its coolness relieved his flushed, hot skin.

One person suddenly caught his attention. They seemed to be the same height as him and were covered from head to toe in a black coat, hood pulled low over their face. They moved swiftly, almost gliding over the pavement. Yuya frowned. There was something odd about this person... Something terribly _familiar..._

_A blinding pain, the sensation of falling..._

_"Hello, my name is Yuto."_

_A photo... the glimpse of a face..._

_"You're the one that killed her!"_

_A figure in white races towards him, followed by a figure clad in black. He's falling, falling, falling..._

_"YUYA!"_

Yuya sat up ramrod straight, shuddering.

At that moment, a sudden gust of wind blew. The hood fell off, revealing the stranger's face. Yuya gaped, eyes wide. It was only a glimpse as he rode past in the car. But it was enough. Yuya looked away from the window, cold sweat pouring down his skin. The sight was incredibly unsettling, on a soul-deep level. He couldn't have described the feeling, even if he wanted to.

The face staring back at him had been his own.

Why his face? Why did the stranger have his face?

Yuya slumped into his seat, cringing as the headache from earlier returned. He huffed a breath, exhaustion redoubling. He looked at the ceiling of the car with tired eyes.

'I really need to get some sleep...' Yuya muttered.

* * *

_The night was only just beginning._

_There many players in the dangerous game that Yuya hadn't even realised he was playing. A lot of plans were to be put into motion very soon. Yuya's fated first meeting with Yuto was still to come._

_His wish wasn't going to be granted either._

Nobody _involved in that cosmic fuckup of a situation would be sleeping that night._


	4. Chapter Three

Later, when all was said and done, Yuya would think back on things and wonder; would have everything have turned out differently had he not chosen to get a snack on the way home? It was odd really, just how much a seemingly insignificant thing like that change. Perhaps, the events that followed would have turned out for the better, or for the worse. Nevertheless, Yuya had asked the driver to stop the car so he could get a snack from a nearby shop. It had been a very long day, after all. The last time he ate was-

 _Actually, when_ did _I eat last?_ Yuya thought, racking his memory. Was it that morning, before he left? Or did he catch a brief lunch in between one place and the next? Had he eaten at all?

_Huh._

It was no wonder then, why he was in such a terrible mood all day today. But it wasn't the first time such a thing had occurred. Yuya often forgot to take of himself, nowadays. He was busy after all. And he had found that if he ignored his growling stomach long enough, the hunger abated. No such luck that night though.

Yuya watched as cars and people rushed past in a blur outside his window. Red, tired eyes threatened to close any moment. The young celebrity comforted himself with the thought that he would be home, and in bed, soon. He just had to get that snack. Then this impossibly long day would be over.

* * *

_First, there was the dream:_

**_A blinding pain, the sensation of falling..._ **

**_"Hello, my name is Yuto."_ **

**_A photo... the glimpse of a face..._ **

**_"You're the one that killed her!"_ **

**_A figure in white races towards him, followed by a figure clad in black. He's falling, falling, falling..._ **

**_"YUYA!"_ **

_Then, there was the girl:_

**"Yuya, I am so, so sorry."**

_And the boy:_

**"You need to protect him, no matter what. Remember that... Yuto."**

**"I will, I promise."**

_There was also:_

_-a most ancient magic_

_-a conspiracy fourteen years in the making_

_\- murky memories of a past not yet escaped_

_A great many things were at play, most of which the people involved had no idea of. A single person does not have the full picture after all._

_Call it fate, destiny, or simple chance, but it would all come to a head very, very soon._

* * *

As he stepped out into the cool night air, something caught his eye. A movement in the periphery of his vision. Yuya frowned; the unease he had been feeling since his earlier encounter increasing. _Something's there, something **bad** , _some long-buried instinct blared. Keeping his eyes firmly locked ahead, Yuya pretended not to notice as the peculiar presence shadowed his movements.

He entered the deserted shop, ignoring the bored cashier with his crossword. The next few minutes were spent in a tense haze of movement. No matter how hard he tried afterwards, Yuya could never remember how he had managed to buy the snacks and exit the shop. All that he knew is that he somehow got outside and to a deserted street before calling out:

'I know you're there.'

Yuya resisted the urge to yelp in surprise as his stalker revealed themselves.

They sidled soundlessly out of the -whatever it was- that had hidden them. There was a sort of mist all about them, one that obscured their features and all but the most basic of details.

'You're smarter than I thought,' they said. 'I'm almost impressed.'

'What do you want with me?' Yuya asked, not bothering to hide his fatigue. 'Just get to the damn point.'

Alright, maybe he was being stupid and reckless. But so-fucking-what? He was tired, hungry and wanted to collapse were he stood and never get back up again. Yuya was past caring what happened to him. It was too late and he was too out of it to think. Let the stalker do what they wanted.

The stalker stopped dead for one moment and stared, shocked. Yuya stared back, utterly calm. The two stood across from each other in the deserted street. All over, people and places and even fate itself, were in motion. There was an entire _world_ in constant, never ending, motion, unaware of the happenings on that night. Here though? In that street? Reality itself seemed to freeze.

In those endless seconds, something neither party could name changed. They wouldn't understand what until much, much later.

Several things happened after that, all at the same time.

The stalker leapt towards him, one hand outstretched, transparent-white energy gathering in the palm.

Not too far away, Yuto sprinted from shadow to shadow, mind chanting: _hurry, hurry, hurry,_ and _can't fail, can't fail, CAN'T FAIL._

An indeterminate distance farther, two beings felt three separate surges of power and readied themselves for what was to come.

On the other side of the planet, Yuzu worried about her old friend, gazing out into a brewing storm.

Yuya saw his life flash before his eyes, adrenaline raced through his body, his mind was alight with one, impulsive, thought. In that split second, Yuya suddenly understood one thing with perfect clarity. He became aware of one single desire he hadn't known was there before. (If he had the time, he would've laughed himself sick at the irony.)

In that split second before the death that would surely come for him, Yuya Sakaki understood one thing.

_I don't want to die._


	5. Chapter 4 Part 1

There was a reason Yuya was not surprised to discover his stalker's "supernatural inclinations". One awful, terrible reason that he had to keep hidden for all these years. The same reason his friendship with Yuzu had been irreparably broken all those years ago. It was his enforced silence that alienated all his previous friends and caused his family's betrayal.

He had been thrown into that strange world once before and that had ended badly.

Yuya had never been one to passively accept his fate, but what _could_ he do in this situation? He was just as helpless as he had been before. Rooted to the spot as that deadly transparent energy hurtled towards him once more. Yuya watched as his attacker leapt towards him, their movement too fast to evade. His feelings were a writhing, roiling knot in the depths of his heart.

_I don't want to die._

But then, a mass of shadow energy exploded between them, throwing the attacker back into a wall and coiling somewhat protectively around Yuya.

Pure, utter, _relief_ was his first reaction.

Confusion was the second.

For in the midst of the shadow energy was a person. A person whose face was dreadfully familiar, even if they had never met before. Yuya's eyes widened with realisation.

'You're-' he began reflexively.

His saviour turned to face him, eyes blazing indigo.

'I know you have questions, but for now, we need to run.'


	6. Chapter 4 Part 2

This was most definitely NOT the way he expected his day to end. He hadn't really expected to get attacked either. But that wasn't something one could usually anticipate.

His saviour held out a hand.

'I know a way we can get away faster,' he said. 'I know you have no reason to trust me but...'

'Let's just get out of here,' interrupted Yuya, snatching the other's hand. He looked surprised for a moment, before nodding firmly and starting to concentrate.

As soon as he did, the shadows around them coalesced into a large black mass of energy threaded with purple lightning. It swirled around them, _into_ them. Yuya shuddered from head to toe at the strange sensation. It wasn't overly unpleasant, just thick, fluid and cold enough to burn. It seemed to block out everything else, until it was all he could feel. Until all that existed was the frantic pace of Yuya's heart, the stranger's hand in his own and the cold burn of the shadows.

Strangely enough, this sensation seemed familiar. However, no matter how hard Yuya racked his brain, the memory would not come. He knew it was there, knew it had happened at some point, even knew the most likely time he had jumped shadows like this. But there was a stone wall between him and those memories. The thought sent a chill up his spine.

Abruptly, the onslaught of shadow energy lessened. Yuya opened his eyes.


	7. Chapter 4 Part 3

'So,' Yuya began, turning around to look at his saviour. 'My name's Yuya Sakaki, and you have _no idea_ how grateful I am that you saved my life.'

The stranger's expression was cold and utterly composed. Dual-toned hair of violet and black swept upwards, towards the right side of his head. Grey eyes looked coolly at him. He inclined his head slightly in silent acknowledgement. Silence stretched on. Yuya inwardly sweat-dropped. What did you even say in a situation like this?

'Hello, my name is Yuto,' the stranger said after what felt like forever, introducing himself.

Yuya started, red eyes widening in recognition.

_Wait- that name-_

His dream. The one that he'd woken up from too many times to count in the last few months.

**_A blinding pain, the sensation of falling..._ **

**_"Hello, my name is Yuto."_ **

**_A photo... the glimpse of a face..._ **

**_"You're the one that killed her!"_ **

**_A figure in white races towards him, followed by a figure clad in black. He's falling, falling, falling..._ **

**_"YUYA!"_ **

Yuto watched him, frowning. The red-eyed boy couldn't quite bring himself to care, his mind whirring a mile a minute. That dream... that damn dream... It had kept him a lot of nights, wondering just why he had it so many times. Over and over and over again. Because there had to be a meaning. Because there was simply no way he dreamt the same thing so many times for no reason.

And now, Yuto had said the same thing as he did in the dream, word for word...

_It can't be._

Yuya looked at Yuto, hands clenching.

'I need to know what's going on.'

Yuto merely nodded in reply.

'I'll try to keep it brief, there's a chance we're still being followed.' He said calmly.

Followed? After all that? Yuya stifled a groan.

_Oh, you have got to be kidding me._

Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion crashed over him. His lids felt heavy. It had been a tiring, confusing day that stretched into a tiring, confusing evening, and it looked like it wasn't even over yet. Or would be anytime soon.

Wincing, Yuya trembled with the effort of holding himself up. He finally looked around, trying to find some place to sit down. They were in some sort of park, not too far from the main streets of the city. It was pitch black dark and the two of them were alone. The late-night air was cold, nipping at his skin. Stars twinkled like millions and millions of jewels, far away, studding the night sky. Yuya couldn't feel much appreciate for the beauty, as he was somehow simultaneously too tired from his painfully long day, and too distracted by his racing thoughts.

Yuto sighed and abruptly turned around, black material billowing out behind him.

'Let's find a place to sit.'

Yuya nodded and hurried after him, after a final uneasy look around.

_What the actual hell is going on?_


	8. Chapter 5

The sound of a motorcycle engine cut through the still and quiet of the road. It was late at night and the road was mostly empty, with only the occasional car passing through. The rider atop the motorcycle looked young, despite his face being obscured by a helmet. (Almost too young to be riding one, but that was besides the point.) He'd been on the road for hours now, and the night was only just beginning. Luckily, a service station would be coming up soon, where he could take a rest stop before continuing. He still a long journey ahead of him after all.

If one were to look underneath the helmet, the rider's face would be near identical to one Yuya Sakaki, with clear crystal eyes and blue-blonde hair. The resemblance wasn't only in the face either. His height, build, weight and even name bore a striking similarity to Yuya as well, something Yugo himself was well aware of. (None of this was a coincidence, but this isn't about that. Not yet.)

Eventually, Yugo came to a stop at a service station. Instead of getting off and going inside however, he slumped forwards and closed his eyes with a groan.

 _This is isn't getting me anywhere,_ he thought and, with a scowl of helpless frustration, sent out a pulse of magic for yet another locator spell.

He'd been searching for gods-knew-how-long and still, nothing! What was the _point_ of having magic if it didn't help him with the one thing he wanted to do?! He was no closer to finding his friend than he was six months ago. Or the two years _before_ that.

Yugo bit his lip, scowl dimming into a more tired, exhausted look.

Even if he _did_ find Yuya, what would he say?

What _could_ he say?

Before he could spiral any deeper into melancholy, a sudden flare of magical power tugged at his senses. It was far away, but still massive enough to alert him to it. And familiar enough to hurt. Yugo's head snapped up, eyes flashing, a teal glow at their centre. His body tensed all over. All of a sudden, the locator spell buzzed with a brand-new direction, stronger and clearer than it had ever been before.

Without a word, Yugo set off once again.

* * *

Yuri stumbled through a hastily made portal, head still spinning from the unexpected onslaught of all-too-familiiar shadow energy. He fell against a wall in a mostly-empty apartment building, sliding downwards until he was sat on the cool stone floor. Slowly, his breath and heartbeat evened out, the spinning in his head cleared and he could think again.

Well. That had been a complete disaster.

He had shown up expecting Yuya to be completely unaware and defenceless. Instead, he'd gotten a fistful of shadow energy to the face.

There was only one person in the entire world that could use shadow energy like that.

What had Yuto been doing there?

Did he and Yuya have some sort of agreement in place?

Yuri swore viciously under his breath, leaning against the cool wall. That... complicated his task quite a bit. It was one thing to ambush a mostly-defenseless, untaught Yuya Sakaki and quite another to even get close to the defensive, paranoid, highly-trained Yuto. How was he supposed to complete what he started now? The last thing he needed was complications such as this one.

He had been so close too...

Oh well.

He could improvise. There was only two of them after all. And he had the advantage of surprise. Neither of them were even aware he existed after all. He relaxed, purple eyes confident once again. A smirk crept onto his face. Yuto and Yuya had no idea was coming.

Yuri had never lost before and he wasn't about to start doing so now.

* * *

_'Hey Yugo?'_

_'Yeah?'_

_'If we get separated and I'm in trouble will you come find me?'_

_'Definitely! I'll always find you, no matter what!'_

_'Hey, Yugo...'_

_'What?'_

_'Take this.'_

_'But- but that's-'_

_'Take it. I want you and Rin to have it.'_

_'But... but why? It's so important to you! You never let us even touch it before!'_

_'You're more important. And anyway, I want you to always have something to remember me by! Keep it safe for me, OK?'_

_'Then if you ever need to find me, return it safe and sound.'_

_'OK, I- I will. You can count on me, Yuya!'_

_You can definitely count on me._


End file.
